Date   : Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:45:11 +0000
From   : steven.bass@... (Steven John BASS)
Subject: Prestel

Andrew Benham <adsb@...> wrote:

> Jules Richardson wrote:
> 
> > Anyway, I've forwarded this one to our lot - I really wouldn't know a
> > kosher Prestel terminal if one were dropped on my foot, but we might
> > have one or two (I know we've got various viewdata systems and
> > terminals, but they probably don't count). At least "I want this in 2
> > weeks" is better than the "I want this tomorrow" that we normally see ;)
> > 
> > There is a teletext mailing list
> > (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/teletext) and a few folk there know about
> > Prestel, but the group's more or less dead. I suspect there are quite a
> > few lurkers like me still subscribed, though; if he asks there he might
> > get some useful responses.
> 
> When I worked for STC, in the early 1980s we had a product named 'Novatel'
> (or was it 'Novotel' ?) which was a Prestel terminal about the size of a
> shoe box, with a small CRT, and a numeric keypad on a curly cord.
> 
> It was superseded by the Executel when STC bought ICL, the Executel
> product having Sir Clive Sinclair's fingerprints all over it.
> 
> http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/cgi-bin/sitewise.pl?act=det&p=892
> http://www.vers.co.uk/DLEEVERS/PICS/ptel.jpg
> 
> 
> Unfortunately I haven't seen an example of either of these for years, but
> the names might help him when searching.
> 

Another similar machine to the Executel is the BT Merlin Tonto and the ICL
OPD (one per Desk).  It too can function as a Prestel Terminal and this is
what I used when I worked for BT.  I still have a working machine in my
loft.

http://www.quanta.org.uk/systems/opd/index.asp


-- 
Steven John BASS
SJB TechAid